The present invention relates to a seatbelt retractor and a seatbelt system having the same installed in vehicles such as cars, in which the retractor retracts and withdraws the seatbelts by the rotation of a spool with the driving force of a motor and is used for restraining occupants with seatbelts to protect occupants.
Seatbelt systems installed in vehicles such as cars restrain occupants with seatbelts in an emergency in which high deceleration is applied to vehicles, such as a vehicle crash, to prevent the inertial movement of the occupants from seats, thereby protecting the occupants. The seatbelt systems have a seatbelt retractor that retracts and withdraws a seatbelt with a spool and stops the withdrawal of the seatbelt in an emergency.
PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2003-507252 (“JP Pub. No. '252”) discloses a seatbelt retractor that retracts and withdraws a seatbelt with an electric motor, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In the seatbelt retractor disclosed in JP Pub. No. '252, an electric motor is disposed in series coaxially with a belt reel (hereinafter, also referred to as a spool) on one axial side of the belt reel, in which the rotation of the electric motor is transmitted to the belt reel while being reduced in speed by a reduction mechanism including a planetary reduction gear mechanism. As the belt reel is rotated by the rotation of the electric motor in a belt retracting direction or a belt withdrawing direction, the seatbelt is retracted by or withdrawn from the belt reel.